World's first underground

Main line railways made it easier to get to London, but also contributed to the growing congestion on the streets.

In 1860 work began on the first attempt to solve the problem: an underground railway. The Metropolitan Railway was designed to link three of London's main line termini with the City. The track was laid mostly in a shallow cutting excavated along the street, which was then roofed over. This method was known as cut-and-cover construction.

The first section of the Metropolitan opened from Paddington to Farringdon on 10 January 1863. A second underground line, the District, began operating five years later. The two were eventually linked to create the Circle line in 1884.

The early underground was a huge engineering achievement and very well used, but had one big disadvantage. Its steam locomotives created a permanent sulphurous fug in the stations and tunnels. The only surviving steam engine from the 1860s, Metropolitan number 23, is on display in the Museum.

London in the 1920s and 1930s

The 1920s and 1930s brought important innovations to improve safety, comfort and efficiency for people travelling around London. They were sorely needed. The move from horse-drawn vehicles to motorized ones brought a dramatic rise in fatal road accidents in the Capital. There were 186 road deaths in 1901, but this leapt to 1362 people killed in 1929. Not until 1934 were compulsory driving tests and an urban speed limit of 30mph (48kmh) imposed on drivers.

By the 1920s, buses had overtaken trams in popularity. Covered top decks and pneumatic tyres made buses more comfortable, and many new routes were introduced to link up London's new suburbs. Buses were also cheaper to modernize and maintain.

Electric trolleybuses were introduced, which were powered using the same overhead lines as trams but rode on wheels rather than rails. Trolleybuses could be steered like a motorbus and there was no expensive track to maintain. They remained in use until the introduction of diesel buses after the Second World War.

Growth of suburbia

After the 1860s, the expansion of local rail lines, underground and eventually Tube services, led to the growth of railway suburbs at the edge of London and beyond. Developers built new housing estates near rail or underground stations, and suburban communities quickly grew up around them, with electric trams and motorbuses making the new suburban lifestyle more appealing and convenient.

The Metropolitan Railway, pushing overground out into London's north-west, became a successful property developer in its own right. The company built housing estates on land alongside the rail lines, creating a commuter area dubbed 'Metro-land'. Posters and a glossy annual guide were designed to attract new homebuyers and promote the suburban ideal.

Transport futures

London is set to grow and prosper in the future, with an increase of more than 800,000 people and over 900,000 extra jobs forecast by 2025. This means a projected increase of four million journeys in the city every day.

The challenge is to improve London's public transport system in order to accommodate this growth, but at the same time manage overcrowding, reduce traffic congestion and cut carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. 'Coming Soon to London' is a Museum display that features some of the most important transport projects expected before 2025.

London Transport Museum aspires to be a centre for debate about transport futures and the environment. Climate change is the biggest single challenge facing London, and all of us as individuals, companies and global citizens have a role to play in tackling it.

'Green Futures' is an interactive space in the Museum which allows you to explore different scenarios for London's future, according to how we manage our carbon footprint. See how the individual choices we make today could affect the rate of future climate change.